I got mine on eBay. They are hard to find this time of year. Also more expensive than you might expect. I did a nativity scene with the peeps worshiping a television instead of baby jesus. The light it gave off was so cool (and blasphemous). What are you doing?!

No garage sales in that part of the country?Things you can find at almost any sale are exercise equipment,old computers and Christmas decorations.If you like I will have a look for you during my rounds.Camel,sheep? No problem.The donkey is tough.

Well it's not something I want to do on an overseas phone.............................Omar Suarez

[quote="Rusted Iron"](A sheep or a camel would be wonderful.
Pras[/quote]

I think a sheep would not fair so well, but I'm sure a camel would be great. Maybe check with the DMV to see if you would have to decorate it or light it up at night. Those fuckers can move up to 40mph so you'll have to try and keep it slow to keep the dust down.

zorro sings wrote:No garage sales in that part of the country? Things you can find at almost any sale are exercise equipment, old computers and Christmas decorations. If you like I will have a look for you during my rounds. Camel, sheep? No problem. The donkey is tough.

I have NEVER seen light up nativity figures at a garage/yard/sidewalk sale. And I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which is ground zero for nativity displays, mind you. I think people burn the damaged ones, sort of like the Amerikkkan flag. However, 'round xmas, the Wal-Marts are bursting with just this type of tacky decoration. I wonder what the Chinese making these things think they are for?
Anyway: What fucking 'liveable city' do you live in? I'll bet it's some hellish suburb. Just because it is expensive here doesn't mean it isn't liveable. SF is a blast, I've never lived anywhere so fantastic.
PS. People here put their used exercise equipment out on the street with a 'free' sign taped to it. There is a nordictrack on my street right now.

Until recently, when all the stink about church'n'state separation and such started and people started vandalizing the local downtown park nativity scene, I used to make a tradition of "dressing up" all of the figures with neckties.All of the animals got ties, too. I even had a bowtie for the baby Jesus! Now he's a weird unibody melded baby-and-manger-with-straw thing, without neck access.
Keep checking the yard sales, and maybe spread out to FLEA MARKETS. Here in Michigan I'm finding decorations all the time, and especially covet the yard candles with the big yellow plastic flames. (Fasten a solar yard light on one for a cool lantern!)

I found a bunch of those yellow yard candles last summer at a junk store in Maryland. Problem was, I didn't want to ship them back out here. Now, I kick myself, cause I don't ever remember to look for them at xmas time! Duh, I only think about playa decorations from may-august. They would make a great lantern.

ROOSTERSEjX wrote: I only think about playa decorations from may-august..

I have the same problem... The best time to hunt Xmuz decorations is in JANUARY during the liquidation sales....I also try to mark on my calendar when the big Spring and Fall trash pickups are around the town- Always goodies being chucked, including Yard Candles and, best of all, busted Power Wheels toy cars. The batteries are usually missing or wrecked, but the motors are always there and are SUPERB. I have to control myself when out of town, and ALWAYS find things that are impossible to get home. Still crying over the pedal steel guitar setup for cheap at the Goodwill in Honolulu!

The landfill dropoff in San Francisco has a nativity scene made of lawn gnomes they've collected over the years. The creche is lorded over by various animals including what looks to be a life-size stuffed lion on the hill.